Connections

by Pat Antonopoulos

A single kiss and the Princess changes a destiny from a diet of flies in a world of pond water to palace life. Not a single carry-over wart to mar the happily ever. Sweet, right?

As a child, Hansel and Gretel had the dog eared corner in my book. No test kisses, no woodcutter to handle the wolf, no dwarfs to win over through cooking and cleaning.
Gretel knew when to act and the witch was toast.

A delightful young feminist recently talked about creating a version of Rapunzel in which the female doesn't require a Prince to save her day. Rachel's story reminded me of a tradition with my two oldest grandchildren.

At bedtime we told stories and the last story of the night was usually a new version of Rapunzel...same basic structure but different twists and turns leading to a altered ending.

Guessing that about now many English majors readers might be doing a mini-metaphor-eye-roll. Deserved, no doubt.

About now I should be tying the string that excuses my overstretched connection. Not really certain how to do that but...

We told our Rapunzel versions during the time my grandchildren were four and six to about the time they were 10 and 12. Rachel probably wrote her Rapunzel in her late teens or early twenties. I memorized the story in the 1940's and heard Rachel's version in 2009.

Connected.
We are.
The connection strengthens us, even when we are unaware of the link through a simple fairy tale tether.